Top 8 Gaming Franchises that Need to Die

PS University writes "Our Top 8 lists make a triumphant return this week and I've decided to do this one up a little differently than normal. While most of our readers cry about how we never included other consoles exclusive titles, we're going to do so now. We may represent PlayStation, but I guess it's only fair to let the other guy compete for our spots in the Top 8 countdown. We're also going to start listing the Top 8 in reverse order and start off at number 8. This Top 8 is all about those franchises that have been going on for a little bit too long now and it's about time the developer and publisher behind the title give it a rest. It's almost as though the team behind the scenes aren't comfortable creating something new and fresh this generation and instead look forward to feeding us the same title we've been playing for the last 10 to 15 years.

Chances are, if you're a gamer and you have a favorite franchise, this list will piss you off and I think that's just something you need to deal with on a personal level. When it gets to the point that you're trying to shove soda down our throats while advertising a game that has already had far too many iterations as it is, it goes too far. When we walk into a retail outlet and the opportunity to buy clothes for your over-produced titles is there, it's time to think of a new IP. Let's try and push gaming forward with something new and exciting. Watching a video game legend have to wear hand me downs year after year is getting a little tiring. If you don't understand the point of the list by now, you're a lost gamer. So without much else to say, let's start the list."

Honestly I want Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon to die unless Naughty Dog gets the rights back and actually make a good Crash game again, and same complaint for Spyro with Insomniac Games These companies are ruining the Crash and Spyro series, give them back to their creators :-/

I'm all for a few new IP myself too-and though I've been a Resi fan from the first moments of the series I'm sure it needs to be at least put away, if not killed off after changing beyond all recognition over the past two games AND going all crap in RE5, killing off it's best, most iconic character and running away from the SH genre while doing nothing to embrace it's new found action direction(i.e if you wanna be an action game chnage the controls and if you wanna be Resi provide some scares and , above all, stop with trying MP til your game suits it).

Too many issues, too much water under the bridge and I just wish now that RE4 had been allowed to be it's glorious swansong rather than RE5 propelling the series towards a nondescript and tawdry end. Shoot it like a mangey dog!

Wow Mastiff, no clue why but I completely let Resident Evil slip my mind. I couldn't agree more. I felt the same way as you about the last two titles. They changed the franchise entirely and while both were good games in their own right, they didn't feel like "Resident Evil" anymore.

Dumb article. No game franchise needs to die. As long as people enjoy the games what does it matter if they make 10 or 100? Honestly, you just write these articles to stir up controversy to get hits on your lame ass site, right?

Actually, I write them because I enjoy writing them. I also enjoy seeing how other people would change a list or what titles they'd include themselves. Not everything has to be hardcore news, trailers, reviews and previews.

Lightened discussion about gaming topics like this are a nice change of pace and create good discussion sometimes. If it's not your cup of tea, just don't read it. You're obviously not the demographic I'm trying to reach with my Top 8 lists. They're not for everyone, but that doesn't make them "dumb" or anything else.

They're here for entertainment purposes, which is why they're listed as "articles" and not news. If you can't enjoy something for what it is, that's your own problem.

insomniac sold the spyro franchise but they're still makin awesome platformer games now with ratchet & clank. tools of destruction is dope (just started playin it) and i cant wait to pick up a crack in time.

as for crash, same story. naughty dog sold crash and we now have uncharted which is IMO the best new franchise of this gen. i wouldnt say no to a PS3 crash game made by naughty dog but as long as they keep bringin awesome NEW games, its all good for us players.

You're damn right I'm not the demographic you're trying to reach. These type of articles only cause fanboy wars or are just plain dumb. Maybe you or people who read these articles should realize that maybe they have a favorite game that may never see a sequel again. How about you try and convince them a franchise needs to die? Tell that to Shenmue fans or Chrono Trigger fans. Hell, I can think of a bunch of games I may never see a sequel too again. And honestly, we see about 15 articles a week with a top ten this, or a top 5 that, it gets boring. Write about something useful.

1. Finish Peace Walker 2. Cancel Rising 3. NO MORE AC!D GAMES 4. Make a game about Zanzibarland (Solid Snake vs. Big Boss) 5. End the series

This would complete the entire series and answer all the questions that still need to be answered without truely milking it. Rising, from what I've heard, is just a filler that is not needed at all. Plus, I just want to see Grey Fox blow up in a mine field!!! xD

The new Super Mario is the only game on the Wii that I wish I could play. Halo / GTA rakes in to much money to die anytime soon. Metal Gear should have stopped at 4. No Kajimi = no true Metal Gear Tomb Raider is on its death bed, especially with the Uncharted series stepping it up.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this, do you mean the games are getting bad so they should die off? or they are just getting old and too many games? well either way I would say that sonic should die off already, I mean i'm going to give him one more chance with this new 2D sonic but all of his games since 2000 have been awful, and a new sonic game has came out almost like one a year, but they have all been bad so I don't see how Sonic didn't make the list.

aye, havnt seen a good FF since FFX. x-2 (which the main was actually a girl), FFXI,FFXII all were... stupendous. if FFXIII n FFXIII vs dont save SQ nothing can. I'mma boycott if they screw these up. I cant wait for another 10 years for them to pull crappy FF games out of their asses.

Madden needs to go too =/ but i guess its the best football franchise around.. so its kewl.

I disagree with MGS series. Even though the story of Solid Snake has been covered we got alot of story holes I'd like to get filled up from The Big Boss etc etc. and i hope it comes to next-gen consoles, i dont like PSP mgs -.-

I am starting to agree with that FF should stop now but if S-E just released another RPG what would be the difference?? It would only sell less nothing more. So they will stick the FF name on it and use it to sell like hotcakes. FF name is no more than a branding nowadays its not a series like all the other franchises on the list.

I agree, but some of those games contain classic gameplay elements or characters that make the fans keep picking it up. In a away, they are keeping gaming alive. Pokemon should of been on that list too.

I was going to include Pokemon, but wanted to really limit this to console-specific titles -- and felt Pokemon is more of a handheld production (though I know they do have some console titles).

Final Fantasy wasn't included because of the fact each game could be titled differently and it would still sell and make sense. If FF was 15 continuous sequels with the same characters like the titles mentioned in the list, it would have came in at #1 or #2 easily.

I agree with you though. They should have at least dropped the "Solid" and started a new Metal Gear series without Kojima. I feel like they have him locked in a cage over there and only feed him if he gives them more Metal Gear.

I would say RE should just die off, it is just a mere shell of what it was, the core game play and atmosphere are gone and is just another action shooter. I would also say Sonic belongs on that list. And even though GTA IV was garbage I don't think GTA should be on the list nor should MGS.

they put mario on there but not sonic the hedgehog that game franchise perfectly fits your descrption a whored out franchise that lost its quality years ago i mean really sonic hasnt been in a good game in almost TEN YEARS and seeing how many sonic games we've seen in that time period thats saying alot, sonic is on life support but its time to pull the plug.

Mario and Halo will never die because those games is what sells both the Xbox and Nintendo consoles, they literally made the Xbox/Nintendo platform what it is today and to an extent I think both M$ and Nintendo are very dependent on their mascot franchises, so I don't ever seeing them go away.

The GTA series is getting a little stale to me because GTA4 just got boring so quickly, but a future GTA game that had everything San Andreas had and more OUT OF THE BOX (not added in via DLC), would be more than enough to reinvigorate my past love for the franchise.

The Storylines in the MGS series to me are just too amazing and memorable to just kill off the franchise anytime soon.... I'd love to see MGS live on for many, many years to come. The Stealth genre is almost non-existent this gen., so I have to get my "Tactical Espionage Action" fix somehow, and MGS gives me that... I doubt Rising will be a "Tactical Espionage" Stealth game, but at least I can count on Peace Walker.

Please Microsoft, stop bombarding us with crappy Halo games, we all know the 1 and only reason you keep making them is because you know it makes you lots of money, want to work on something good? put more effort into Fable. Fable II, now THAT was a great video game :)

I agree with most of that list. I know everyone has their own taste and are still enjoying those games so they are going nowhere for a while yet. I just don't care much for them myself. Just like everyone's obssession with X-factor and how I never want to hear of it again!

Really GTA, MGS, GH all used to be Playstation exclusive and came or r soon to come to xbox. Halo and mario are other console exclusives and the other franchises arent PS3 exclusives either. Shocker. I remember the days news was never biased(not really)

Wtf are you talking about? Yes, some of these games used to be exclusive. & That's what made them so great IN THE PAST. Great games are ruined when they go multi-plat. The reason developers go multi-plat is to rake in the cash, not please us.

...falling in love with the MGS series. I mean I love the PS brand so much and maybe I just don't like that type of game (didn't love any splinter cell either) but I think that GOW 1/2, UC, SotC, etc. are better games. I think they control better than MGS 1-3 and I think MGS' story is way too overrated. I'd be cool with Kojima working on something different and Bungie working on something different as well.

A PS site wants to kill the main franchises for the other console makers... Who didnt see that one coming. but its ok for FF to have 30 something games in 20 years, It's completely wrong to have 1 Mario platformer a generation....Oh wait this gen we get 3 of them and 1 is completely different from the other 2. I think SMBWii is as different from SMG is as FF1 is from FF2. Oh well PS site so what more can you expect

I've noticed when talking about Mario that "Super Mario" was mentioned rather than just plain Mario on the title. Interesting. Just saying.

Killing of top tier franchises that have shown very little low quality rather than franchise that have truly seen better days, and need to be kill in cold blood for the sake of what's left of the good reputation it had (Sonic the Hedgehog is a perfect example).

Teh. But whatever, I can't really take this article seriously after seeing where it came from.